Humanitarian Rackets and their Moral Hazards : The Case of the Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon

The humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian refugee camps of Lebanon has become one of the most populist causes in the world. Shedding light on the disturbing occurrence of corruption, rent-seeking and racketeering in the camps, together with the emergence of zones of privatized territory based on self-enrichment, this book challenges the conception of refugees in camps as helpless, vulnerable individuals. Based on detailed and sustained research at the camp of Shatila in Beirut, the author reveals that even the access of humanitarian agencies to the camp is determined by payment to certain refugee groups. A rich, yet troubling study of refugee life and the ''cartelisation'' of camp space, this book will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists and political scientists working in the fields of humanitarian intervention, development, criminology and informal economies.